Tufting machine and method for producing design in carpeting and the like

• US 5,392,723 A
• Filed: 05/12/1994
• Issued: 02/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ohno Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ohno Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kaju, Sadayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nerbun, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/241,690
• Time in Patent Office: 292 Days
• Field of Search: 112/80.3, 112/80.31, 112/80.32, 112/80.23, 112/80.24, 112/80.4, 112/80.41, 112/80.43, 112/80.44, 112/460, 112/319
• US Class Current: 112/80.23
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 15/26 with provision for producing patterns

Abstract

An intermittent drive for a backing fabric feed is applied to a tufting machine together with a needle select apparatus, a pattern control, and a mechanism for laterally shifting a needle or the backing fabric. The intermittent drive moves the backing fabric feed in such a manner as to continuously stop the feed roller and the take-up roller over several needle stroke cycles, and to drive those rollers while the needle is not yet in the backing fabric in the first needle stroke cycle just after the stop. The pattern control provides the needle select apparatus with a signal so that of the needles can be selected and brought into the tufting engagement with the looper disposed under the laterally shifted needles to seize only one loop of pile yarn in any one of the needle stroke cycles of each periodic time of a stop and feed motion of the intermittent drive feed for the backing fabric.

Claims

1. A tufting machine for operating on a fabric backing comprising:

a plurality of needles each for carrying a pile yarn aligned laterally relative to one side of said fabric backing with a regular gauge between adjacent needles,

a plurality of loopers aligned laterally relative to the other side of the fabric backing with the same gauge between adjacent loopers as said regular gauge of the needles,

needle select means for selecting certain of said needles at every needle stroke cycle and for inserting said selected needles into the backing fabric,

pattern control means for providing a signal for actuating said needle select means to select the needles to be inserted during each of said needle stroke cycles,

feed means for intermittently and longitudinally feeding said backing fabric in a stop and feed manner wherein said backing fabric remains stationary in the longitudinal direction during a stopping period which is at least one needle stroke cycle in duration and can be fed during a succeeding feeding period, and

shift means for aligning selected ones of said needles each with any one of an associated plurality of said loopers by lateral shifting of said needles relative to both said backing fabric and said loopers by a distance equal to an integral number n, where n is equal to or greater than 1, of the regular needle gauge for every needle stroke cycle while said backing fabric remains stationary in the longitudinal direction,

said pattern control means providing said needle select means with a signal so that any one of said needles may be selected, inserted and the pile yarn carried thereby brought into tufting engagement with a corresponding one of the loopers disposed in alignment under said inserted needles to enable said one of the loopers to seize only one loop of pile yarn during at any one needle stroke cycle for each stopping period of a stop and feed motion of said intermittent feed means.

2. A tufting machine as in claim 1 wherein said shift means shifts said needles relative to said backing fabric by a distance equal to one needle gauge.

3. A tufting method for producing designs in carpeting made on a fabric backing which comprises:

providing a plurality of needles each for carrying a pile yarn aligned laterally relative to one side of said fabric backing and with a regular gauge between adjacent needles,

providing a plurality of loopers aligned laterally relative to the other side of the fabric backing and having the same gauge between adjacent loopers as said gauge of needles,

selecting at every needle stroke cycle the needles for insertion and inserting the selected needles into the backing fabric during a needle stroke cycle,

actuating the selection of the needles for insertion,

intermittently and longitudinally feeding said backing fabric in a stop and feed manner wherein said backing fabric remains stationary in the longitudinal direction during a stopping period of at least one needle stroke cycle in duration and can be fed during a succeeding feeding period, and

aligning selected ones of said needles each with any one of an associated plurality of said loopers by lateral shifting of said needles relative to both said backing fabric and said loopers by a distance equal to an integral number n, where n is equal to or greater than 1, of the needle gauge with a shift means during every needle stroke cycle before inserting said needles in the backing fabric during each of said needle stroke cycles,

and actuating each looper to seize only one loop of pile yarn from an aligned one of said needles inserted into said backing and disposed over said looper for seizing only one said loop of pile yarn during any one needle stroke cycle for each stopping period of a stop and feed motion of said intermittent feed means.

4. A method as in claim 3 wherein the step of shifting comprises shifting the needles relative to the backing fabric by a distance equal to one needle gauge.